We miss Paul Harvey letting us know “the rest of the story.”
Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith is touting a bill she co-sponsored to eliminate tariffs and countervailing duties on phosphate fertilizer imports. “Mississippi farmers depend on affordable fertilizer to stay competitive,” she said. “With input costs continuing to strain farmers’ bottom line, Congress must act.”
Well and good, but the rest of the story tells us Sen. Hyde-Smith could have acted sooner.
Key Mississippi crops like corn and sorghum (corn is the second most prevalent crop to soybeans) depend heavily on nitrogen-based fertilizer, not just phosphate fertilizer.
“In the six weeks since the war (in Iran) started,” the Delta Farm Press reported that urea prices have surged 49%, UAN 38%, and anhydrous ammonia 32%. The war has also driven diesel fuel, which nearly all farmers depend on, from $3.17 a gallon in Mississippi a year ago to $5.03 last week, according to AAA.
“We got people that were barely struggling to get by, and now they’ve been hit with two major increases for fertilizer and fuel just exactly at the wrong time when we needed them,” Como corn farmer Sledge Taylor told National Public Radio. “It’s going to be the nail in the coffin for a number of farmers.”
Senators and congressmen swear an oath to uphold the constitution. That constitution places solely on the Congress the power to declare war. Had Sen. Hyde-Smith, and others touting their concern for farmers, lived up to their oaths of office, the disruptions caused by the Iran war could have been mitigated and possibly avoided.
No doubt congressional debate and discussion to approve an Iran war request from President Trump would have revealed the likely economic consequences, particularly to farmers. Afterall, the war zone sits at the crossroads of much of the world’s fuel and fertilizer supplies.
A corn and soybean farmer in South Dakota saw it coming. He told Newsweek that as soon as the news broke on the Iran attacks, he rushed to lock in one last load of urea, the most widely used nitrogen fertilizer. Many were not so fortunate. The American Farm Bureau reported that only 19% of farmers in the south preordered fertilizer.
Rising diesel and fertilizer costs are making it tough on Mississippi farmers, MSU Extension Service agricultural economist Will Maples told the Columbus Commercial Dispatch. “I’m afraid guys who are at retirement age (will) say they’re just done, and don’t want to keep going in this current low price, high input cost environment.”
“When a man makes a vow to the Lord or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said”– Numbers 30.2.
Crawford is an author and syndicated columnist from North Jackson.
38 comments:
"Hide"-Smith has been in over her head since she was in the state legislature. Always two steps behind.
Read that again - only 19% of southern farmers locked in urea prices when war broke out. Where are all the smart men? Again intelligence is not Mississippi’s strong point. Now they want help. Everyone in Mississippi wants government assistance. All this state has is token politicians like Cindy Hyde smith and Bennie Thompson that works on hand outs instead of solutions. U reap what u sow.
But the warmonger Wicker walks on water. He's a military expert, you know.
The billionaires and trillionaires are running out of things to own and tax write offs. Russia has lost 35000 farms in the last 5 years. 80% are insolvent. The WAR in Ukraine didn't help. Taking advice from your buddy, Putin, isn't a good idea.
Scott Colom paid for and approved
Iran infiltrates terrorism universally. Biden let thousands of unvetted Islamist fanatics over the border, who can poison our water, bomb our airliners and provoke rallies for Hamas. Meanwhile, farmers are richly subsidized and can learn to be prepared or go out of business like the rest of us.
8:16, how miserable does one have to be to shit on everything he sees? You don’t know what percent of Mississippi farmers pre-ordered, just the south as a whole. I’m sorry everyone else hasn’t reached your level of perfection, so give the rest of us a bit of grace until we do.
I don't know what your long winded screed about Jews and Israel had to do with this post but it's not getting approved. The post is about a farm bill.
ROFLMAO. What a sad life that loser leads.
The old saying:
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
I don't like "piling on" when someone is down, but when a leader is not leading, criticism is expected and justified. Can someone tell me any legislation Ms. Hyde-Smith has written? What has she accomplished?
RMQ
only 19% of farmers in the south locked in a low prewar price on fertilizer cause the other 81% spent their money on a new 110,000$ pickup truck.
Ms. Hyde-Smith is sharp as a marble.
Now Bill is worried about the Constitution and separation of powers?
Where has the GOP been on these issues for the last 15 months? Oh yeah, it's an election year.
bawhahahaha , pull yourselves up by your boot straps , JD will buy your farm ....keep licking trumps boots
New rules allowing increased payment limits and loopholes created by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, or OBBBA, will effectively permit corporate farms to take in unlimited amounts of subsidies. On top of that, fewer dollars will be available for small- and medium-size farms, which struggle the most because of the ongoing trade wars.
An analysis of Agriculture Department payment data shows that 6,430 big farm operations each collected $100,000 or more since 2018 in each of the past three bailouts. Of those, a staggering 2,191 operations each took in more than a total of $1 million in government bailout payments from the three bailouts.
But a very different situation played out for the vast majority of farmers who sought bailout payments, including small farms. During the last Trump trade war bailout, nearly 400,000 struggling farmers each received less than $10,000.
This imbalance of payments continues to echo statements from President Donald Trump’s first term Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, who said farmers should get big or get out – arguing corporate large farms, not small farms, are the future.
Cindy and RINO Roger are Big Farma. The King and Queen of Farm and Corporate Welfare.
For all those that act surprised at farm subsidies, this government handout has been around more than 90 years. Franklin Roosevelt started this program. The bitching about corporate farms has been around nearly that long, also.
I won't say how large the operation was, but my wife's grandfather farmed for a living. He was sent a check every year from the government to leave so many acres unplanted. He said getting paid not to work, sign him up. That was many years ago.
I would like to know who thought it was a good idea to offshore something as vital as fertilizer? There are some things that should never be left in another country's power.
12:36-B, Trump is still your daddy, you can't stop thinking about him, and he doesn't know you even exist.
1:43 Trump must be Bill Crawford’s daddy as well because Bill Crawford can't stop thinking about him.
Does RINO claims to be a Republican Bill Crawford ever complain about the Democrat Purposeful Crime Party politicians, doing what all politicians do? If not, doesn’t this prove Bill’s hypocrisy, over and over and over, while signing off with scripture (backed up by that Millsaps mentality religion, maybe???).
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 1 John 4:1
The fertilizer market is an international market.
That means international events affecting international fertilizer supply and demand help set the price for fertilizer in America.
This concept applies whether or not the US is an exporter or importer of fertilizer. If the USA produced 100% of it's fertilizer consumption the price for Mississippi farmers would still be influenced by competing with buyers on the US Gulf coast who would export it to other destinations to capture a higher price.
This has happened since the Strait of Hormuz closed. Ships arrived in Gulf coast ports with imported fertilizer, it was offloaded onto barges, then resold and reloaded onto ships for export.
Trump is in over his head. Hell, anybody can see it now. He'd better start figuring out a way to back out of this while wiping the egg from his face. If Congress flips come November, Trump won't finish those last two years.
BS
@5:52 - Don't forget tomorrow is gym day and all 10th graders must wear the standard, school gym shorts and 'T' in gym period.
We are about $2.00 a gallon from SHTF. Which will be about a month more of the current situation.
I don't know if Trump and his clown council believe this or even care about it. You would be wise to bet that Iran does.
Acted sooner is an understatement. I am shocked that after 8 years, she has co-sponsored a bill. Now she just needs to get one passed
"Biden let thousands of unvetted Islamist fanatics over the border, who can poison our water, bomb our airliners..."
All the terrorists that Biden supposedly allowed into to the US apparently got "Americanized" real quick-like because so far, even after the Supreme Leader and others were killed in this "war," not single one of the now-lazy bastards has so much as thrown a firecracker. Certainly it is possible these supposed thousands of terrorists are just laying in wait for just the right moment to unleash on any- and everything in sight. But that brings up another point: the FBI and other agencies have been decimated and demoralized by the conduct of the executive branch, especially with its non-stop "retribution" against anyone who might have been anywhere near investigating (oue) "dear leader," even if merely under orders. Which brings up yet another point: the whole reason Cindy-Lou's bill is even a thing is (our, not their) "dear leader" started an unnecessary "war" against their "supreme leader." So, to recap, Cindy-Lou wants to give money to US farmers because the very guy who she and kindred spirits worship as "dear leader" started a war (to rid the world of their "dear leaders") that financially damaged those who depend on anything related to oil (i.e., everyone), allegedly to prevent thus-far non-existent "terrorists" in the US as well as to prevent "Iran" from using "nukes" that it did not have. And even if managed to build some low-order "nukes," it could not have used them in any effective attack on the US. From an objective standpoint it almost certainly would not have used them at all even if they did have them.
One argument the far right seems to forget or ignore is the parallels to their own gun argument: that the mere possession of firearms does not create in every possessor the uncontrolable urge to kill. They are right about that, just like having a bottle of booze and a car does not create the desire in everyone who possesses both to drive drunk. The vast majority of people who have the means to do something stupid, albeit with serious and severe consequences, do not do those things. They do not do them, at least in part, because of the fear of those consequences. Another common example: lots of people will exceed the speed limit and drive 75-80-85 on the interstate, but few will risk the potential consequences of 100-plus. The same is true of "nukes" - the mere possession of them does not automatically mean the possessor will be unable to control themselves and use them, damned the consequences. You know, just like none of the countries which currently possess them have used them, the US twice-excepted 80 years ago, and yet, none are willing to give them up.
Which brings us back to guns thing. Folks in the US walking around strapped and training for all sorts of improbable scenarios, with "tactical" being a big thing. Which is their clear Constitutional right. I've never heard of a single incident in which a civilian got into a firefight with some gang of (or even a single) terrorists, criminals, or anyone else. Certainly there have been rare instances when an armed civilian stopped a mass shooting/tragedy with a firearm, and there are uncommon instances in which a civilian has used a firearm to successfully defend themselves from a criminal/assailant. But mostly, the gunowners who regularly carry, train, etc. do it for personal reasons and "feel-good." Again, their right to do so. But objectively speaking, they really aren't exposed to what they claim they want the gun and training to defend against. In simple terms, Bubba wants a tacticool gun, "Iran" wants a "nuke," and it is pretty much the same reason, even though it is extraordinarily improbable that either will ever actually use them for that purpose (or any at all).
CH-S has a hyphenated last name, that tells me all I need to know.
Hyde-Smith is the very definition of a back bencher.
9:23 PM’s “Bubba wants a tacticool gun, "Iran" wants a "nuke," and it is pretty much the same” helps sum up that the leftist indoctrinated mindset, is a real form of mental illness.
KF, thanks for this site and for allowing these left the planet idiotic leftist posts, as we can use them to teach just how mentally r______d the Democrat Purposeful Crime Party has become. I’m sending JJ another check.
5/10 @ 8:58 I am so very far from perfect but I actually worked my ass off in this state and found out it was for nothing since I am just a female. I literally wasted my best years here and I regret it. The way the men of this state think and the way the women placate their men explains why I wasted my time here. The men of this state are intimidated by intelligence but they hold the power. Their results are reflected every day. I just look back and now understand how this stupid state got where it is. White man rules but does it so poorly. Both me and my husband are now retired and able to choose our environment for the first time. When working, I spent my time with investment professionals so I did not see the real environment of this state until I retired. I was appalled once I saw. I was forced out of the state for healthcare and I am thankful for that because it opened my eyes. I thought the rest of the country was as backwards. But I was wrong. My move literally saved my life. Every day living is nicer when the people are not used or stressed by power moungers. My worst nightmare would be for my grands to want to live here since they love the countryside. I am working hard to prevent that. I show them differences every time they come here. In my eyes, this state is a place to boat, hunt and fish only. It’s like an undeveloped country - I buy my supplies out of state, hit the woods, play and return to my new home state with higher quality living for my day to day life. Sad but true. All I pay here is property taxes, thank goodness. I can’t change it but I am blessed to be able to choose where I live in my last quarter of life. Instead of feeling sorry for Mississippians, I realized that most would not change a thing. This is what they want and they can have it.
9:30 AM since you’ve been so mistreated here in MS you might try California. You probably think California white men are so much better at respecting women than here in MS, right?
We’ve heard the casting couch worked really well for women like Gavin Newsom’s wife Siebel. And don’t forget about Roman Polanski’s rape of a 13-year-old girl in Jack Nicholson’s Mulholland Drive home.
Hollywood California respects women so much rapist Roman Polanski received a significant standing ovation at the 75th Academy Awards in 2003. So go ahead and get that move from MS booked!
God Bless you @9:30
You are correct. There are so many better places to live than Mississippi. I lived in Mississippi my whole life but was lucky enough to visit TX CA, NV, FL, and see how bad things really are in Mississippi. My paradise turned out to be the Pacific Northwest. I worked hard and moved up in a company and requested a transfer to Oregon. Best decision of my life! As bad as Portland can be it is still 1000X better than Madison/Rankin and all of Jackson!
Yes I am conservative and a gun owner I found good churches here as well.
Mississippi is in a perpetual state of ignorance. And to Mississippians, Ignorance is Bliss!
But yet, here both of you are on a message board supposedly filled with the very people you despise. I smell a fake.
May 10, 2026 at 9:23 PM, ain't you got to dye your hair purple, or get your nipples pierced, or something? No one here is looking for your approval.
So @10:49 is living in the shangri-la of Oregon but lurking anonymously here while looking down their long nose at Mississippi. So much for that best decision.
Did you ignorant inbreds miss the part where I said I grew up in Mississippi? Still have family there and I still visit. I also read local blogs in Oregon and Portland. I even read blogs from Canada!
I bet that rattles your little brain like the marble in a spray paint can!
Also, this is a blog, not a message board. Get it right boomer.
Some of them still miss putting the phone handset into the modem to connect to the BBS.
During WWII America made sacrifices to support the war effort. Citizens enlisted in the military, worked to support war time manufacturing, accepted rationing, purchased war bonds & many other patriotic efforts. Today after 60 days of our country’s efforts to defeat Iran many citizens & the news media are complaining about higher short-term cost of gas, groceries & other commodities, all because we as the most wealthy nation in the world are spoiled.
What's the plan Stan?
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